Container



Nov. 6, 1928.

P. REEVES CONTAINER 2, Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 19. 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet2 Nov. 6, 1928.

I'P.REEVES CONTAINER Filed June 19. 1922 Patented Nov. 6, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE'Q PERCY REEVES, 0F GHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

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Application filed June 19, 1922. Serial No. 569,330.

of goods and which container is capable of being arranged in expanded orextended.

form for use as a toy or for other purposes. The main idea underlying myinvention is the provision of a carton device which is readilyconvertible from a carton of minimum dimensions and useful forcontaining various articles, to an ext-ended form useful for exhibition,display or as a toy.

. Preferably the carton is made out of a single sheet of cardboard andis cut and scored in such a manner that it can readily be formed andfolded into a box-like form and also cut and scored so that the severalportions, flaps or walls can readily be arranged to suitably expand thedevice into a desired display shape and the parts are so formed thatthey can readily be secured in such extended or display condition.

While many embodiments of my idea can readily be conceived, I havechosen herein to illustrate my invention in the form of a carton havingparts enabling it to be readily expanded to form a Noahs ark. And, I

' have shown the associated animals of a Noahs ark toy as being packedwithin the carton. As typical merely of my invention I have shown in theaccompanying drawings which form part of this specification, a cardboardbox-like carton in which the animals can be packed for storage andshipment and which carton simulates the hull of the ark, the devicebeing provided with attached sections and flaps adapted to be extendedand secured in their extended positions to produce the appearance of acompleted ark.

One feature of my invention is that the carton with the extensiblesections and flaps is adapted to be arranged in a compact conditionhaving flat walls and whereby a plurality of the devices are adapted tobe arranged in a suitable case or carton occupying a mini mum of spacefor shipping purposes.

My invention will be more readily under stood by reference to theaccompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of thedevice shown in its compact condition; I Figure 2 is a perspective viewshowing the device partly unfolded; a Figure 3 is a perspective view ofthe device in completed form for use for display or as a toy;

Figure 4 is axvertical cross-sectional view on the line 4-4'0f Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary detail section on the line 5-5 of Figure 4;and

Figure 6 is a plan view of the cut and scored blank for the device.

As best shown in Figure 3 the device illust-rated simulates a Noahs arkhaving a body portion 1, a peaked roof 2 and end walls 3. The height ofthe body portion 1, as shown in Figure 8; is substantially double theheight necessary for containing the associated parts of the toy such asthe animals 4 indicated in Figure 2.

It is a particular object of my invention to so construct the devicethat it can readily be folded down into a flat box-like form of onlysuflicient capacity to snugly contain the contents such as theassociated parts of a toy, this for the purpose of minimizing orreducing the shipping volume, and in Figure 1, I illustrate the devicein such compact folded condition. The device is adapted to betemporarily retained in such compact folded condition by aband 5 formedof a strip of paper such as is now commonly used for sealing packages.

In order to arrange the device so that the container can be readilyfolded down into the form shown in Figure 1, I make one side 6 of thecarton of two equal parts 7 and 8 divided longitudinally by a score line9. The opposite side 10 of the carton is likewise made of a lower part11 and an upper part 12 divided by a longitudinal score line 13. Asshown in Figure 1, the upper part of each side can be folded down toproduceacontainer which is only half as high as the base of thedevice.The roof 2 of the ark is composed of a flap or section 1 1 forming anextension of the part 12 and divided therefrom by a score line 15, asection 16 divided from the section 14 by a score line 17 and an edgeflap or section 18 extending from the free edge of the section 16 anddivided therefrom by a score line 19. The two sections 14 and 16 formthe two sloping sides of the roof 2. The sections 11 and 12 are equal inheight to the sections 7 and 8 and the section 18 is adapted to betucked inside of the section 8 in completing the ark, as best shown inFigure 3, to hold the roof in proper relation.

I preferably make the roof part longer than the body of the box forminggable ends 20 projecting beyond the ends 3 of the box. The ends 3 of thebox are each composed of a lower section 21 equal in height to the lowersections 7 and 11 of the sides and an upper section 22 having inclinededges 23 to fit beneath the parts 14 and 16 of the roof and provided onits upper end with a tongue 24 adapted to project through a slot 25 inthe roof, as best shown in Figure 3, to hold the upper part 22 of theend rigidly in position and join the ends to the roof. I make the slot25 in the form of a cut with out removing any material, the out beingparallel with the end of the roof and at its ends being turned inwardlyas shown at 26 thereby forming, in effect, a short tongue 27 adapted tobe curved upwardly when the tongue 24: is pushed through the slit, asbest shown in Figure 5, and in position to tight- 'ly bind the tongue 24to the roof.

For securing. the side parts 7 and 11 to the ends 21, I provide the part7 with interlocking end tongues 27' one at each end, and I provide thepart 11 with similar tongues 28 at its ends and I provide the end parts21 with suitable slots 29 for receiving these tongues when the bottompart of the body of the ark is formed up as shown in Figure 2. Informing the box for use as a carton, I first form up the lower part ofthe bodv of the box engaging the tongues in the slots 29 at the cornersof the box which is a common construction. The carton is then ready foruse to receive its contents. Then the box is closed by first bendingover the upper parts 22 of the ends 3 and then folding down thepart 8 ofthe side 6, then folding the roof parts together as shown in Figures 1and 2 and folding the roof as a whole down upon the thin flat boxalready formed, the roof providing a closure for the top of the box.Then the parts can be secured for shipping purposes in their foldedcondition by means of the band 5 or any other suitable tie.

In opening the box and arranging it to form a display device or a toy,the parts are unfolded in their reverse order and the tongues 24 on theends 3 are projected through the slots 25 in the, roof and the flap 18is tucked within the flap 8 thus expanding the container into the toyform shown in Figure 3.

It will now be clear thatthe device serves two important functions;first, when folded down to minimum dimensions serving as a carton,container or packing box, and second when expanded serving as a displaydevice or toy.

As explained hereinbefore, the idea involved in my invention is muchbroader than the illustration which I have shown and described, which ismerely typical of the many ideas which will obviously readily suggestthemselves once the idea is understood and consequently I do not desiremy invention to be limited to the specific details of construction andthe toy herein illustrated and described.

I claim:

1. In a device of the kind described, a member made of foldable sheetmaterial and having a permanently formed container portion, attachedsections and flaps adapted to be folded down into close relation to thecontainer portion to close same whereby the device serves as a cartonand said sections and flaps also adapted to be arranged in extendedrelation to increase the height of the side walls of the containerportion and to provide a peaked top.

2. In a Noahs ark toy, a housing made of a sheet of cardboard cut andscored to be formed up into a housing simulating an ark, the sides andends having horizontal score marks facilitating the folding down ofthese parts to form a container substantially onehalf of the normalheight of the sides, one side part extended to form the roof of the ark,the ends extended to fill in below the roof and having tongues on theirfree ends the roof provided with slits for receiving said tongues and aflap on the free edge of the roof part for tucking in behind theopposite side, as and for the purpose specified.

3. In a device of the kind described, a cardboard box having a shallowrectanglar body portion and having attached sections adapted to bearranged to make the sides higher, and on one longitudinal edge of thebody portion, having a large section attached provided with a scoreline, adapting it to be bent to form a peaked roof continuous from oneside to the other.

Signed at Chicago, Illinois, this 2nd day of June, 1922.

PERCY REEVES.

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